


Alchemy/chemistry

by Ethernelle



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Cute, F/M, Feelings, Self-Indulgent, what are tags man, yes that one is good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27340096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethernelle/pseuds/Ethernelle
Summary: The evolution of the relationship between Severian Lyctor, guildmaster of the Alchimist's guild, and a small but strong Warrior of Light. Contains spoilers for the Alchemist quests, bad writing from a non-native writer, and most importantly, utter brainrot. I'm sorry.
Relationships: Severian Lyctor & Warrior of Light





	1. Memories

The first time she opened the alchemists' guild's front door, Memu didn't really know what to expect. After months of gladiator training followed by years of solely walking the path of the paladin, the Lalafell had suddenly felt compelled to try something different. She was still very much a paladin at heart, obviously—but this small whim had already taken her to several guilds, if only for a mere visit. Some she instantly found an interest in. Some, not so much. But she wanted to at least try everything.

And so, she had found herself at the door of the alchemists' guild in Ul'dah, wondering what awaited her on the other side. She barely knew anything about the craft, except that one could restore Orchestrion rolls to their full glory with it. Which somehow didn't feel like the main purpose of the whole thing, despite being, in her humble opinion, pretty neat. It was only as she pushed the heavy door that she found herself thinking, “Ah, _maybe_ they do make potions too.” Still not a very strong starting line. But hey, she came to learn!

As she talked to the receptionist, she could feel her knowledge of alchemy grow tenfold, despite still knowing pretty much nothing. Alchemy could do _a lot_ of things. It seemed both scientific and mysterious at the same time. Useful, dangerous, multi-purpose—the usual explosive cocktail. It sure sparked an interest, but she still felt apprehensive. What would she be doing here, exactly? Did she have what it takes? It looked complicated... As a dedicated paladin, she had already set her sights on blacksmithing and armorsmithing, but alchemy was on a whole other level. She had tried to quiet her uncertainty and act natural as she had walked over to the guildmaster.

The first time she met Severian Lyctor, Memu didn't really know what to think of him. This blonde man in his thirties had struck her as some kind of crazy scientist of a sort, and he seemed to make literally zero effort to appear otherwise. Was he having delusions of grandeur or was he actually skilled enough to warrant such an... _intense_ behavior? Everyone else in the guild seemed to hold him in high respect, despite acknowledging his eccentricity, so it was probably the latter. But was that all there was to it? What laid underneath? She looked straight at him as he talked to her, trying to catch a glimpse of the answers she seeked. She could feel he wasn't really looking back at her, though. Master Severian was always looking at something else. Something far away that she could not quite understand yet. However, he still took the time to properly explain to Memu how alchemy worked. Obviously, he was also using her to do what he couldn't be bothered to, but despite barely even _seeing_ her, he seemed to always give her tasks that fit her level of expertise. And the passion in his voice when he talked about alchemy! It was captivating. As time went by, she slowly started looking at him in a more positive light. He was still very much a mad scientist, but a very bright one, and he didn't look down on her as she had feared he would—not any more than one would usually look down on a Lalafell for size-related reasons, at least. His passion was contagious, and the Warrior of Light soon felt herself charmed by the craft, which was far from expected. Doing “boring work” was fine by her. She could learn at her own speed. And not being quite certain the guildmaster even remembered her name was fine too, in the end. It felt gratifying to be able to help out a genius, and she didn't dislike being in the shadows for once. It was almost refreshing, after spending so much time in the spotlight herself. Soon, the alchemists' guild became her favourite place to rest her shield and soul from the incessant battles she had to go through. Before she knew it, she found herself smiling as she made each day a new powder, potion or... _unqualifiable_ thing. She accepted Master Severian's requests with sincere eagerness and tried her best at fulfilling every single one to the best of her abilities, happy to learn. In his own way, he seemed to appreciate it.

However, his constant work-related enthusiasm quickly devolved into what looked like impatient desperation. The Warrior of Light didn't mind being depended on, but that was worrying to say the least. Paying close attention to what Master Severian exactly asked of her and the other guild members' gossip, she started piecing together what was probably happening. It made the whole thing all the more concerning, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything to the guildmaster. What would she even say? She wasn't even sure how _she herself_ felt about it. And even so, why would he listen? She was but a simple assistant. Even if he seemed to trust her more recently, that was only thanks to her abilities as an alchemist. Nothing more, nothing less. Powerless to do anything, Memu resolved to help him in his endeavor, no matter how it was meant to end, and support him as much as she could. She couldn't protect him as efficiently as she usually protected her comrades in battle as a paladin, but she could at least try to stay by his side as a small helper, even if he didn't really seem to care. It hurt her to see him hurting. More than she had thought it would.

* * *

She pushed the heavy door. All of these memories, every single glance she had taken at Master Severian's pained face, everything she had made in the hopes of being useful to him while he was walking through this long night came back to her in bits and pieces each time she did. She greeted Esmenet and Deitrich with a smile, which they returned. The atmosphere at the guild felt a lot more relaxed and comfortable now, in the aftermath of Master Severian's experiment. She knew it hadn't completely mended his heart, as nothing could, but his soul had apparently been soothed from the obsession that had been consuming it since years. A weight had been lifted off his frail shoulders—all Lalafell she was, the Warrior of Light still considered Master Severian's shoulders as frailer than hers, despite how it looked to most people. The storm was over.

She happily trotted towards Master Severian's white-coated back. He appeared to be immersed in a book and didn't notice her right away. As usual. She didn't mind. Taking a few steps towards his side, she peered at his focused face, a playful smile on her lips. She wasn't playing a game of “how long before he notices me”, because she knew she would lose; he probably would never notice until she greeted him. She didn't mind. Gazing at his azure eyes for another handful of seconds, she silently waited for him to reach what seemed to be the end of a paragraph before breaking the silence.

“Good morning, Master Severian.” she said quietly, so as not to surprise him. He closed his book and turned towards her, lowering his blue eyes to meet hers.

“There you are, my most able assistant!” he replied with a smile of his own. “Do you know what we’re going to do today?”

Bringing an index to her chin, she made a face of exaggerated ignorance. “I have no idea... But perhaps... is there any chance that we are, actually, going to _maybe_ do...” The Lalafell made a small pause obviously meant for dramatic effect. “... _alchemy_?!”

“Exactly! Just the answer I’d been waiting for! You truly know me _so_ well, my favourite assistant!” the guildmaster answered in a passionate tone, playing along.

They looked at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. Their happy voices echoed throughout the guild, quickly fading into the ambient noises of everyone else’s work, but not before bringing a few smiles among those who had heard them.

“More precisely, we’re going to make a Gazelleskin Grimoire for a client, a renowned Summoner—or so I have been told. Naturally, it needs to be of the utmost quality, as you could most likely guess, since you must be quite familiar with those kinds of bor... _common_ requests. Oh, and by ‘we’, I mean...”

“Me... I suppose?” Memu suggested with a docile smile.

“You catch on quick, as always. Wonderful.”

She chuckled. Things had changed a lot since their first encounter, huh? Bantering like this every so often, working side by side... It filled her heart with a peaceful kind of happiness, one she hadn’t been able to experience very often in her journey as the Warrior of Light. Maybe, just maybe... she felt at home, here. A feeling she had never been very familiar with.

“Then, I’ll be waiting for you here. Please show me the finished Grimoire once you’re done.” _Well, he obviously wasn’t going anywhere_ , she thought to herself. After all, this man never left the guild, going so far as to sleep at his work desk whenever fatigue finally got the best of him...

She nodded. “Alright. I’ll do my best, Master Severian! I’ll go and get the ingredients.”

She swiftly turned around and started making her way towards the exit. A Gazelleskin Grimoire, huh... She would have to double-check the ingredients list, just to be sure. As she reached for the door’s handle, she heard Master Severian’s voice from below.

“Thank you.”

She stopped, her hand on the handle. It wasn’t anything special, a mere two words of gratefulness for once again taking on a task in his stead. He probably didn’t think much of it. Still...

For a brief instant, he was genuinely looking at her.

She smiled warmly. “The pleasure is all mine.”


	2. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "After all, this man never left the guild." Looked like she had jinxed herself there.

Another day, another adventure! But this time, like every time Memu pushed the door to the alchemists’ guild, it would be an indoor one. A different kind of adventure than what she had been accustomed to, as the Warrior of Light, but she liked the special kind of excitement it brought her. How would she proceed in order to make what she was supposed to? What would she need? What should she keep in mind? Was a single dumb mistake going to risk the whole crafting proces? She couldn’t wait to see what fate had in store for her today. As long as it didn’t involve angry customers that she sadly wasn’t allowed to simply _silence_ , she felt ready to take on any task.

However, destiny seemed to have other plans for the Warrior of Light. As she passed the door and went to greet the receptionist, he looked a little... tired.

“Hello, Deitrich. Is anything the matter? You seem preoccupied.”

The man sighed. “Well, no, there’s no matter per se... _yet_.”

“... _Yet_?” Memu raised an eyebrow at this worrisome affirmation. Then, in such an instinctive manner that it brought an amused smile to Deitrich’s face, she turned around to look at Master Severian’s usual spot, in front of his desk. He... wasn’t there? How? What had happened to cause such an unbelievable development? Alright, maybe that was an overstatement. But still.

“Yes... _As you can see_ , Master Severian went out. A while ago.” the man answered.

“I won’t lie, that’s enough to make me vaguely concerned.” admitted the Warrior of Light in a deadpan voice. “But please, go ahead and scare me more: where did he go?”

“It’s... kind of a long story, but to make it brief, he asked for an extremely rare material for one of his syntheses, and the mining team said they wouldn’t be able to assess its quality without some guidance from an alchemist. So he went.”

“He... he just _went_?” she repeated, half shocked and half worried.

“Yes. Yes, he just went. I wasn’t expecting him to actually accept, of course... And then, in a blink, he was gone. To be honest, I still have trouble believing that actually happened.”

A handful of silent seconds went by. It was a little hard to take in. What had possessed Master Severian? Had he fallen ill? Why would he accompany them himself, when he had a whole guild of people he could ask instead?

“...He could have asked me.” Memu said quietly, slightly pouting, which prompted another chuckle from Deitrich. Quickly covering it by clearing his throat, he added:

“Well, it’s not too late. You can still go. I mean, you _should_ still go. I’ve heard there have been quite a few attacks by bandits in Central Thanalan recently. Miners usually can defend themselves and know how to erase their presence, but our guildmaster... not so much. Maybe I’m worrying for nothing, but... since you’re a famous adventurer, I thought that...”

“...I’ll go.” the Warrior of Light replied after a few seconds. “Let’s not take _any_ risk. He’s probably not in danger or anything, but... better safe than sorry. And even if it doesn’t show a lot when I’m in here, my main job is still protecting people. I’d regret it too much if anything were to happen.” she concluded with a sheepish smile.

Hearing that, the white-haired man seemed relieved. “Alright. That would reassure me as well, frankly. I must thank you, miss Aesth’ende. Here is the zone they said they would inspect.” He took a map of the Thanalan from below the counter and drew a circle with his finger around a specific part.

“I see. No need to thank me, I’m only doing my job... If anything happens or if they come back while I’m out, please call me on my linkshell. I’ll be back soon.”

“Understood. Take care out there...”

“Don’t worry about me.” She smiled happily, but something in her expression felt strangely bittersweet to Deitrich. “I’m a heroine, you know.”

She gave him a small wave before starting to cast her teleportation to the Aetheryte closest to her destination. As she disappeared from the guild, her smile faded. Was that how it felt to be forced to work on one’s day off? Was she displeased about being forced to change her plans? Or was she simply worried about Master Severian being somewhere out there, maybe in danger? Maybe a bit of both. But considering she was usually one to adapt easily to fate’s many whims, it was probably the latter for the most part. _Seriously, what was he thinking?_...

* * *

Upon arriving at the Black Brush Station, Memu put her Miner outfit on and took out her map. Considering the area Deitrich had shown her, and the local topography... if they were looking for something rare, it would probably be... _here_ , or _there_. She called her chocobo and went to check her answers. She barely saw any monster, which should have felt reassuring; but for some reason, it only made her worry more. At the first point she had thought of, she only saw another adventurer. She wished him good luck before setting off again. Had she guessed wrong? She took another look at her map, fully trusting her mount not to run into a boulder. Well, _maybe_ there was this third place she could check, even if it didn’t seem like what they were looking for... She frantically tried to remember everything that could be gathered around here. After flipping through a few pages of her mining notebook, her chocobo came to a halt. Some sort of natural alcove was carved into the rock. She stopped and listened carefully. Sure enough, voices were coming from inside there. Memu patted her small chocobo as a sign of gratitude and dismounted before walking into the alcove. She made a point to stay discreet and hide her footsteps, just in case. You never know, what if something had already happened and she was to save everyone? Better not make this more complicated than that would already be. Yes, she was a Warrior of Light, but it didn’t mean she hated easy victories. And if people’s lives were at stake, then yes, always: the easier, the better. She took a few steps and peeked inside.

It only took a few seconds for her to ascertain the situation: a blond man in a white coat and three people in very obvious mining attire, pickaxe in hand? _Mhm, who could that be?_ Yeah, right. She let out a sigh. At least, they were all safe. She even cracked a smile, before remembering that she was supposed to be angry that the guildmaster had ventured here without any protection whatsoever. She rubbed her cheeks and furrowed her brows a little. It didn’t feel enough to give off an actual “grr, angry” feeling. Some would have said that was the fate of all Lalafells. As for Memu, she simply wasn’t angry enough, which wasn’t a bad thing _at all_.

She stopped actively concealing her presence and started walking towards the group.

“There you are.” she said with her slightly upset, perhaps-pouting voice.

The four men turned back towards her. She recognized one from the miners’ guild in Ul’dah, who quickly waved at her with a small, embarrassed smile. The other three, including Master Severian, seemed taken aback.

“What brings you here, my ubiquitous assistant?” he asked, perplexed.

“What brings me here? Why, you, of course!” she retorted, pointing a finger at him, making the man take a step back and blink a few times in surprise. She carried on with a softer tone: “I should be the one asking that, you know? You suddenly rushed out of the guild... Dietrich and Esmenet were as surprised as they were worried...”

The three miners stared at the master alchemist. For some reason, they looked more embarrassed than him. The main interested party appeared to ponder over her words for some seconds before answering:

“I understand that it has been quite a long time since I last left the city, but I didn’t think that would cause them such concern... On the contrary, I wanted this to be a new beginning of some sort. Ah, well. Will you tell them I’m sorry?... Oh, and I should apologize to you as well. You came all this way just for this, after all. Sorry, my dear worrywart assistant.”

The Warrior of Light sighed with a tired smile. _Worrywart_... Maybe she had it coming, as she couldn’t and wouldn’t deny that yes, she had been worried, but still. If she was the kind of person to simply dismiss her worries that easily, she wouldn’t have become a paladin.

“It’s fine. But there have been reports about bandits attacking passersby in the area. I don’t think they usually attack miners, and even if they did, they could probably protect themselves or flee efficiently... But I doubt they could protect you, Master Severian. It’s dangerous for you to be here, especially since you kind of... stand out, in this outfit.”

The blond man looked down at his own attire before glancing successively at the miners, and finally, back at Memu, who gave him a sheepish smile.

“...I didn’t know you could mine as well, my polyvalent assistant.” he commented, as if thinking aloud. “Do you happen to have any other hidden talents? Do forgive my curiosity.”

“Uh, well, I...” She felt a bead of sweat form on her forehead. How was she supposed to answer?...

Before she could figure out which replies would be acceptable and which probably wouldn’t, he added: “Ah, but you don’t have to worry. In fact, I happen to...”

Unfortunately, the sound of footsteps closing in, quickly followed by a man’s laughter, interrupted the guildmaster before he could finish. Memu hurriedly took place in the middle of the alcove, in front of the whole group. _Really_ ? Were they _really_ going to be attacked? What a stroke of bad luck.

Memu could discern a few silhouettes against the light. Four getting closer, and a fifth one who stayed further back, at the entrance to the alcove. Probably an archer. The laughter belonged to a tall Hyur with a black beard. Sporting a heavy axe, he was walking with confidence, and seemed to be the leader of the group. Probably a warrior, she noted to herself. The rest of the group was composed of another two Hyurs, a rogue and a lancer, as well as a Roegadyn, most likely a pugilist considering his lack of apparent weapon. The one in the back was a female Miqo’te. The Warrior of Light, still in her mining attire, glared at the “leader”.

“What a lucky day! My men told me they’d seen a weird-lookin’ man who we could probably rob of a few things, but now, there’s also a cute Lalafell girl to top it off? Awesome! Right, guys?” The rest of the group cheered.

“Please, don’t do this. We don’t own anything precious. It’s not worth it.” Memu said calmly, trying to sound a little scared. Much to her dismay, she ended up sounding _tired_ rather than _respectfully frightened_.

“Tryin’ to act brave in front of your friends, aren’tcha? Well, if you don’t have anything of value, you’ll have to give us something else... like yourself? I’m sure a doll-like little thing such as you would fetch us quite a high price, sold to the right people...”

Memu’s right hand clenched into a fist. _Of course_. These people... were _scum_ like that too. She kept up her calm facade, but her eyes grew icy. And her patience was already getting dangerously close to its limits. _Doll-like little thing_... _Sold to the right people_... The words echoed in her mind with every heartbeat. Getting stronger each time. Inviting her. But she wouldn’t give in so easily. Justice tasted better when served in an appropriate fashion, or so she believed. Reacting to a mere provocation would have been understandable, but that wasn’t how she did things.

However, she could feel some unrest behind her. A quick glance taught her that one of the miners seemed ready to shift into a fighting stance at any second, while another was on the brink of panic. As she was about to answer, Master Severian took one step forward and beat her to the punch.

“Unfortunately, this Lalafell isn’t for sale.”

The Warrior of Light found herself both grateful for his intervention and distressed that he had drawn their attention to himself. And also a little embarrassed about his exact choice of wording. _This Lalafell... is not for sale_. Wow. Well, at least it rhymed. She let out a small sigh, staring at the ground.

“Hahaha, is that so?” roared the warrior. “Then maybe you’d like to come with us instead? Seein’ your clothes, you must be some important chemist or somethin’ back in Ul’dah, yeah? Then people would probably pay to get you back. We’ll consider leavin’ your friends alone if you nicely accept to—”

The man stopped in his tracks. In the middle of his sentence, Memu had materialized her sword and shield in her hands. In this silence, she slowly raised her head to meet the warrior’s eyes. The rogue audibly gulped. The Lalafell was smiling. An incredibly soft smile... with deranged eyes. A happily deadly face. Warm, and as cold as death.

“If you dare touch one hair on Master Severian’s head, I promise you that I will hurt you so bad that you’ll end up begging not for mercy, but for the sweet release of death.”

Her voice was soft and calm, and she spoke with no hesitation whatsoever. Like it was already written. Like it was far from being the first time she had threatened someone—which made it sound even more convincing. On top of that, her weapons had started glowing a menacing blue.She was still wearing her mining attire, but it was obvious she knew how to use the sword and shield she was holding.

Maybe on instinct, maybe afraid, maybe because she sincerely believed she could end everything right there and then, the Miqo’te in the back drew her bow.

 _Well, that was it_.

Memu’s smile faded eerily fast. In an instant, her shield was slamming right into the archer’s head. Before she could even fall to the floor, the paladin rushed towards the rogue and the lancer. Surprised, the lancer tried to land a blow, but his balance was off. She dodged easily before slashing his thigh and catching her shield to block an attack from the rogue. Feigning to his left with her sword, she swiftly slid to his right and took advantage of the momentum to slam her shield into his head. That movement took her right by the Roegadyn pugilist’s side, who tried to land a punch, but the size difference between them made it easy for her to simply step away. Now behind him, she struck at the back of his legs with the flat of her sword, making him fall to his knees. Without missing a beat, but almost gracefully, she sidestepped around him and with the handle of her sword, delivered a powerful blow into his stomach. The leader hammered her with his axe, but she blocked it with her shield and easily pushed him back, which seemed to surprise him. Well, that was only natural. She was but a small Lalafell, after all. Taking advantage of his delayed reaction, she ran past him, putting herself back where she belonged, between enemies and allies. Finally, as if striking the final pose of an often-repeated choreography, she raised her sword, now glowing a bright blue, straight toward the leader’s neck. It hadn’t been more than a few seconds since she had thrown her shield at the Miqo’te.

“You should just leave.” Blank voice, blank eyes. Her breathing was calm, her stance unfaltering.

The Hyur warrior took a step back. “Just _who_ are you?!” he growled angrily.

Memu blinked. “Oh, right. Maybe if I do _this_...” She casually reached into her bag, apparently unafraid of being attacked at that point. What she pulled out was a winged-diadem. She quietly put it on before looking back at the warrior.

“The winged-diadem...” the lancer breathed through grunts of pain, holding his bleeding leg. “I-It’s her! The... the heroine of Eorzea!”

“What? _She_ is...?!” the bearded man gasped.

“Yes.” Memu answered almost politely. “Now _scram_.”

Despite her soft voice and appearance, it was clear that she wouldn’t take no for an answer, even for the bandits. The leader clearly wanted to go for the fight, but glancing at his wounded comrades apparently convinced him otherwise.

“Tsk! I’ll remember this!” he hissed, gesturing for retreat to his allies and going to help the lancer up.

“Then perhaps I should remember you, too.” the Warrior of Light retorted with a scowl. The bandits seemed to hurry up and quickly disappeared from the alcove.

Memu let out a sigh before dematerializing her weapons and taking off her diadem. Someone started clapping. She raised her eyes—it was the miner she knew from the guild. She gave him a half-tired, half-embarrassed chuckle, before clearing her throat and, putting on a soft smile, she asked to the group:

“Is everyone alright?”

“How could we not be?” her acquaintance replied with a grin. “We don’t risk a thing as long as you’re there with us, _miss Heroine of Eorzea_.”

She looked away. “It’s kind of embarrassing to hear you say that, you know... But well, I try my best. As long as you’re all safe...”

Memu glanced up at Master Severian. He was staring at her. She started sweating. He seemed a little confused. Well, of course he would be. She had been a tiny bit... _ruthless_. She felt caught red-handed. While yes, she had technically protected everyone, maybe she had gone a little overboard. Just... a little. He was probably thinking that she was awfully violent and reconsidering how he saw her. The Lalafell felt a shiver run down her spine.

“U-Um, so you see, Master Severian, it can get dangerous around here, so, erm... please be more careful...” she stammered nervously. Ah, and to think that a mere minutes before, she had said all these things to the bandits without hesitating...

“You see, my powerful assistant, what I was going to say before we got... _interrupted_ , was that I actually _can_ defend myself.” the alchemist answered, still puzzled. Memu tried to hide her surprise, but she could feel it wasn’t working well. Before she could answer, he kept going: “Oh, I only know the basics. Supposedly enough to protect myself. Which is why I thought I’d be alright. Although... compared to your impressive mastery, I imagine my combat skills would be more akin to those of a baby.”

Memu was _mortified_. Not only had she underestimated the guildmaster’s fighting abilities, it also made it seem like she had taken him for a fool. On top of the previous shame she still hadn’t dealt with, that was another whole gallon of regrets she would have to swallow. Why had she said that? Why had she come here, even? Maybe if she hadn’t come, the fight wouldn’t have happened, or they could have defended themselves well enough. Maybe she had only made it worse. Maybe...

Lowering her head, she started in a low voice, apologetically: “I see... That makes sense. I’m sorry, Mas—”

“But I must thank you for defending us, my protective assistant!” he interrupted her with a smile. “I’m not certain we would have made it out of this unscathed without you.”

She raised her eyes and saw Master Severian taking a few steps before kneeling in front of her, lowering himself to her Lalafell height. His face grew more serious. “But tell me...” She gulped. _Apprehension_. Was he mad? Was he going to admonish her? She stared into his blue eyes, trying to find some answers, only to feel only more anxious. He was a little close... _She could heabutt him if she wanted_. She immediately hated herself for thinking that. Thoughts were completely running amok inside her head.

And then, he finally spoke.

“...I knew you were an adventurer, but... you’re the Heroine of Eorzea?”

And suddenly, the chaos disappeared, only to be replaced by a heavy void. _What?_... The word filled her mind, leaving space for no other thought. What? _What?_... He seemed really curious. He didn’t look like he was joking. So if he was asking that, it meant that... he didn’t know? He didn’t know that? _How could he not know?_... Master Severian was sometimes a little oblivious—and sometimes very oblivious— but still, it had never occurred to her that _perhaps_ he still hadn’t realized who she actually was outside of the alchemists’ guild. Had she both underestimated him and overestimated him on the very same day?

Full of unanswered questions, she slowly looked over at the miners. The one she knew was quietly laughing to himself. One of the others had a jaded look on his face while looking at Master Severian. The last appeared full of disbelief, and she thought she could hear him mutter something along the lines of: “Man, she’s your _assistant_ , how come you didn’t know?” She could feel a little of each reaction battle inside her own heart. But mostly, she felt confused. Surely even more than the man who had asked in the first place. She looked back at Master Severian.

“Well, yes... You didn’t know?” she attempted, hesitant.

“No.”

“Oh.”

One second went by, then another. Unable to keep up with this strangely heavy atmosphere, Memu ended up giving the alchemist an awkward smile, bringing an index to her cheek.

After a while, the blond man spoke, as if thinking aloud. “Then... maybe I should...”

“Ah— but, Master Severian!” the Lalafell immediately stopped him, a hint of panic in her voice. “Even if I am indeed the one they call ‘Heroine of Eorzea’, that doesn’t really change anything! I mean...” She glanced left and right a few times before finally looking back at the master alchemist with a small smile. “When I’m with you or at the guild, I’d rather be simply... your assistant.” She scratched her head, a little bashful. “If that’s alright with you.”

Master Severian stared at her for some seconds, slightly taken aback. Finally, he gave her a satisfied smile.

“I see.” He stood back up. “I understand... Despite being bound by your duties as a famous adventurer, you truly wish to devote yourself to the path of the alchemist, huh? I shall respect your wishes, my zealous assistant! Fear not, as long as you keep an open mind, you’ll reach even greater heights in no time. You’ll soon be uncovering some of the world’s secrets with your alembic!”

That wasn’t _exactly_ what she had meant... but that was close enough. She chuckled.

“Thank you, Master Severian. I’ll keep on doing my best!”

As long as she could keep things as they were, that was good enough. As long as she could remain there, in this warmth...

“By the way, what were you looking for here? Since I’m here now anyway, would you mind explaining to me what you are trying to make?”

“Ah, I’m glad you asked!” he answered joyfully. “Actually...”


End file.
